ReachTV’s Lynnwood Bibbens on the opportunity marketers are still missing

Ad Age is marking Black History Month 2025 with our fifth annual Honoring Creative Excellence package. (Read the introduction and all the essays here.) Today, guest editor Lynnwood Bibbens, founder and CEO of in-airport media network ReachTV writes about reaching underserved audiences. The word opportunity is a word most people, especially in business and/or advertising, hear and think markets, monies, etc. When I hear, see or even write the word, my mind immediately turns to my mom(s). Let me share why. My freshman year of high school, my grandmother, who also raised me, died. She, along with my grandfather and mom, were undoubtedly my best friends. I sought refuge and found an emotional outlet in playing sports. (I took it to the court and the field!) My dedication to sports paid off. Recruitment offers rolled in from colleges including Norfolk State and multiple Division II schools. But as fate would have it, two months before high school graduation, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I chose to attend West Chester University, 100 miles from home. My freshman year, after a stupid argument with a family member, I decided to skip traveling home for Thanksgiving. That Thanksgiving was her last—my mom died shortly thereafter. A missed opportunity. Losing both of my moms redefined the word opportunity for me. It taught me that if you have an opportunity to do something, do it! Not going home for Thanksgiving in 1990 is one opportunity I regret not taking. As a media and advertising industry veteran, I know there is so much opportunity in the advertising world. But for startups or undercapitalized companies—especially those created by diverse founders—the opportunities for critical funding are hard-fought if they ever come to bear. And yet consider this: The top two advertising companies, Google and Meta, wouldn’t exist without having gotten significant early venture and private equity investments before they showed any profitability—while Quibi secured $150 million in advertising commitments upfront, but was still unable to grow viewership to the projected numbers. And while the industry seeks opportunities for growth, it also continues to overlook where that growth is: underserved audiences. Extreme Reach reported that ads targeting audiences are most effective when those ads reflect the images, tone and experiences of those the ads seeks to reach. While we have seen an increase in diverse talent, funding and/or advertising for diverse-owned businesses continues to dwindle. The opportunity to change the course of this truth must shift now! The new “majority” by 2040 will be made up by the current “minorities.” If brands and businesses want to be a part of culture—if not cement their position—they must actively participate and support culture. The brands and agencies that are projected to spend billions this year must be dogmatic and resolved in their support of minority-owned companies—not for charity’s sake, but because said investments drive not just good business but smart business. With Black-owned media receiving a small fraction of total advertising spend, the opportunity to invest and commit to multiyear deals with firms that are creating content, airing live sports, cementing culture and driving unique audiences has never been more critical to how we shape and define leadership. Communal success (brand, agency, business and cultural) requires significant investment, period. Strategic investment in this way supports an ecosystemic shift and impact through all parts of media, culture, creation, distribution and attribution. Agency/brand decision-makers, you have an opportunity—I hope you will take it! To all the Black-owned media companies: Our time to collaborate with one other through meaningful objectives is now. As a collective with shared values, integrity and intent, our time is now. We hold the keys! Culture, trust, reach, commitment and resiliency. Opportunity is now, agencies, brands, publishers. Mine and yours! Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here

ReachTV’s Lynnwood Bibbens on the opportunity marketers are still missing

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